Auxiliary starting means for internal combustion engines



Dec. 1, 1931. c F, HEYWQQD AUXILIARY STARTING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Original Filed July 26, 1924 nontoz marlusfifiayzlmm Patented Dec; 1', 1931 U I T CHARLES F. HEYWOOII 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 SKY SPECIALTIES COR- PORATION, 0F DETRQIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN i STARTING- MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION EIN'GIN'ES Original application filed July 26, 1924, Serial No. 728,339. Divided. and. this application filed May 21, 1928.

Serial No. 279,260.

The present application is a division of my application Serial 728,339, filed July 26, 1924.

This invention has reference to a device for turning an engine over dead center, particularly in conjunction with a self-starter of the type which injects fluid-under pressure into the cylinders of the engine on the power stroke thereof in starting.

It often occurs, especially in one or two cylinder engines, that the cranks come to rest on dead centers and consequently difiiculty in starting is encountered. It is therefore the purpose of this invention to provide an auxiliary means for relieving such a situation by imparting initial movement to the engine crank shaft so that thedead center may be passed and the self-starter be permittedlto carry out its functions in the desired manner; and it is also an object of this invention to provide such means whic'hmay be actuated .by fluid under-pressure preferably drawn from the same source of fluid effecting the starting of the engine.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of an engine equipped with the device of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail rear elevation of the distributor with the cover plate removed;

Fig. 3* is a diametrical section thereof on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; v r

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified arrangement; and p a Fig. 5 is an elevation of a simplified form of booster associated with an engine.

Reference to these views will now be made 40 by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

In Figures 1 to .4 the invention is illustrated as applied to a four-cylinder engine 1 supplied for starting purposes by a distributor generally designated by the letter A and also general type disclosed in my Patent No. 1,481,091, of January 15, 1924:. Connected to each of the engine cylinders are pipes 2, 3, 4 and 5 emanating from a valve casing 6 which houses a rotary disk valve 7 enclosed by a cover plate 8. and operated by a sprocket wheel 9 mounted upon a spindle 10 of said valve. A spring 11 is housed in the cover plate and maintains the valve seated in the casing. An inlet pipe 12 enters the cover plate of the casing and is connected to a storage tank 14. adapted to contain fluid such as air under pressure. The pipe 12 is equipped with a manually operable valve 15 which is normally closed and may be of any suitable type adapted to be opened by depression of a button or plunger. 16.

The pipes 2, 3, 4 and 5 are associated with.

ports 17, 18, 19 and 20 in the wall of the casing 6, as shown more clearly in Figure 2, and the said disk valve 7 is provided with a port 21 adapted to coact with the ports 17 18, 19

and 20 at different positions at which the said disk valve may be rotated, so that fluid under pressure may be admitted to the said cylinders in the required order on their power strokes as the valve rotates. Rotation of the valve is efiected by means of a chain 22 passed over the sprocket 9 and a sprocket 23 which is geared to a shaft 24 of the engine. I 1

' In the starting of the engine the depression of the plunger 16 opens the valve, 15 and admits fluid under pressure to one of the cylinders through the valve opening 21, unless said opening is directly between two adjacent ports as shown in Figure 2. In this position the engine is on dead center, and the turndver device comes into operation as will presently appear. Otherwise, the rotary ner that the port 21 will be in communication with that cylinder which is ready to perform the power stroke. Compressed air thus admitted to the cylinder containing a piston on the power stroke will result in rotation of the crank shaft, and as fluid under pressure is successively admitted to the several cylinders on their power strokes in their proper order or cycle, rotation of the-engine will be continued under fluid pressure until the devices for fuel admission, ignition and exhaust are in operation.

Should the engine be standing on dead center, 'no pressure fluid pass the ing a piston 31 operable therein by fluid pres sure against the action of a compression spring 32. At one end of the cylinder is built a valve housing 33 communicating with a pipe 34 connected to a port 35 formed in the valve body 6 and adapted to be passed successively by the ports 25. An inlet port 36 connects the housing 33 to the cylinder, and another duct 37 leads from the valve housing to the atmosphere. A. slide valve 38 is mounted in the housing 33 and is adapt ed in one position to uncover'the inlet port 36 to the exclusion of the exhaust port 37 and in another position to connect these two ports.

A rod 39 joined to the piston 31 extends through one end of the cylinder and carries exteriorly a pivoted pawl 40 on which downward pressure is exerted by a spring 41. The

flywheel 42 of the engine has notches 43 only at those points corresponding to dead center positions. Instead of notches I may use outwardly extending studs or any other structure which imparts a toothed character to the wheel. The expression toothed portion in the claims is intended to include any such construction. The pawl rides on a finger 44 fixed to the crank case 45, and it will be apparent that when the pivot point is moved beyond the finger, the pawl 40 will be depressed y the spring 41 into one of the notches 43.

From the slide valve 38 extends a rod 46 having a hooked end 47 adjacent the outer part of the rod. It has already been stated that under conditions illustrated in Figure 2 pressure fluid will not enter the ports 17, 18, 19 and 20 but will flow through whichever port 25 is at this time in communication with the port 35. Pressure fluid is thus conducted to the valve housing 33 and through the aperture 36 to the cylinder 30, whereby the piston 31 is moved: outwardly. As the pivot point of the pawl 41 passes the finger 44, the pawl will be pushed into one of thenotches 43 as already stated. On continued movement of the rod 31, a stop 48 thereon will engage the hooked end 47 and move the valve 38 to a position connecting the ports 36 and 37, whereby the cylinder will exhaust.

The piston will now be retracted into the cylinder by the spring 32, and at the end of this movement, another stop 49 on the outer end of the rod 39 will engage the hooked end 47 and return the slide valve to the position shown in Figure 1 where it will admit preswhenever the engine is started, regardless of the position of the crank shaft relative to dead center, but the pawl will be effective only in dead center positions of the flywheel owing 7 to notches 55 formed in the latter at only those points which lie in the path of the pawl when the crank shaft is on dead center.

In Figure 5 is illustrated an arrangement whereby the booster device may be foot operated instead of by pressure fluid. A support 60 such as the floorboard of the vehicle carrying the engine supports a frame 61 slotted at 62 to form a guideway for a pawl 63 mounted on the lower end of a foot operable plunger 64. This plunger is depressed against the tension of a return spring 65. Another spring 66 is adapted to depress the pawl into the notches 67 of the flywheel 68 when the said pawl is moved beyond a pin69 which corresponds to the finger 44 shown in Figure 1. It will be seen that here also the notches are provided only on such points of the flywheel as may be in the path of a pawl when the crank shaft is on dead center.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In combination with a wheel rotatable from the main shaft of an engine, a device for overcoming dead center comprising a movable booster adjacent said wheel, fluid pressure means for actuatingsaid booster, a valved distributor communicating with the cylinders of the engine and with said means and geared to the crank shaft of the engine to admit pressure fluid to-said cylinders on the power stroke thereof and to said means when said engine is on dead center, said booster including a pawl adapted to engage said wheel, said wheel having toothed portions t6 receive said pawl only at those points which are in the path of the pawl when the engine is on dead center, whereby movement of the pawl is ineffective on said wheel when the engine is not on dead center.

2. In combination with a wheel rotatable from the main shaft of an engine, a device for overcoming dead center comprising a movable pawl adjacent said wheel, a cylinder, 9. piston in said cylinder, a pawl. adapted to engage said wheel, a rod connecting sa d pawlto said piston, a valved distributor communicating with the cylinders of the engine and with said last named cylinder, said distrlbutor being geared to the crank shaft of the engine to admit pressure fluid to the cylinders of the engine on the power stroke thereof and to said second named cylinder when the engine is on dead center.

3. In combination with a wheel rotatable from the main shaft of an engine, a device for overcoming dead center comprising a movable pawl adjacent said wheel, a cylinder,'a piston in said cylinder, a pawl adapted to engage said wheel, a rod connecting said pawl to said iston, a valved distributor communicating with the cylinders of the engine and with said last named cylinder, said distributor being geared to the crank shaft of the engine to admit pressure fluid to the cylinders of the engine on the power stroke thereof and to said second named cylinder when the engine is on dead center, a slide valve adapted to connect said cylinder to the atmosphere, and a stop carried by said rod and adapted to move said slide valve to exhaust position at the end of the working stroke of said pawl. I

4:. In combination wth a wheel rotatable from the main shaft of an engine, a device for overcoming dead center comprisin a movable pawl adjacent said wheel, a cy inder, a piston in said cylinder, a pawl adapted to engage said wheel, a rod connecting said pawl to said piston, a valved distributor communicating with the cylinders of the engine and with said last named cylinder, said distributor being geared to the crank shaft of the engine to admit pressure fluid to the cylinders of the engine on the power stroke there, of and to said second named cylinder when the engine is on dead center, a, slide valve adapted to connect said cylinder to the atmosphere, a stop carried by said rod and adapted to move said slide valve to exhaust position at the end of the working stroke of said pawl, a spring tending to return said piston from the working stroke thereof, and

another stop carried by said rod and adapted to move said valve out .of exhaust position when said pawl recedes from its working stroke. i

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

CHARLES F. HE OOD. 

